Flexible Metal-Organic Framework for Mechanical Sub Tbyte inch(-2) Data Recording under Ambient Condition

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), demonstrating structural response on external stimuli, represent a promising family of crystalline materials for microelectronic and data storage devices. Herein, manipulation with MOF structure at the nanometer scale for the device miniaturization is still a challenge. Here, mechanical recording and reading the nanometer scale patterns onto flexible 2D MOF at ambient conditions are reported. Treatment of the MOF surface with a hot solvent decreases the roughness up to 1/7 of the layer thickness. Therefore, an atomic force microscope probe is allowed to cause the deformations with the spatial resolution up to 25 nm (approximate to 0.1 Tbyte inch(-2) storage density) and the depth from 0.4 nm. Selective chemical etching by the solvent can further develop the pattern, while the integrity of the MOF structure maintains. The realization of the "read-only-memory" concept on flexible MOF at ambient conditions paves the way for next-generation sustainable data storage materials.